Originally Posted by Rochard

Like Iraq?

US troops pulled out in 2011, and since then Iraq has been standing on it's own and it's citizens are better off. There was a surge in violence in Iraq in 2012 after US troops left, but that settled down quickly. ISIS was in Iraq, but although you can argue that the US military intervention in Iraq left huge gaps in leadership in the areas outside of the major population centers the truth is the Iraqi government has never had firm control large areas of Iraq. The people of Iraq are much better off now; They surely don't live in fear of their own government.

Same with Afghanistan. Since 2002, over five million people who left Afghanistan have returned. The Taliban are no longer in power, no longer have a control over the population, and not spending their free time destroying religious symbols they don't like. US troops and NATO troops have largely left starting in 2012, and the local government is in control.

Military intervention is not an easy task, not to be taken lightly, and takes a long time. Destroying military power and removing a government from control is one thing, but the occupation phase can last a decade or longer. Comparing military intervention in the Middle East to what happened in Europe (and Japan) in the 1940s is very different. It's also important to note that the United States still has military forces in Europe and Japan to this very day, a direct result of military intervention in the 1940s.